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Progressive Scholars Form Anti-Boycott Group

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A coalition of left-leaning academics has established a group aimed at opposing scholarly boycotts, with the self-described goal of "challenging the false choice presented to the academic community that it must either undermine the legitimacy of Israel or accept violations of the rights and dignity of Palestinians." The Third Narrative Advisory Council says it wants to counter the notion -- in an era when the idea of academic boycotts of Israel has gained some momentum -- "that one has to be either pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian."

The group's signatories include leading scholars such as Michael Berube of Pennsylvania State University, Todd Gitlin and Nicholas Lemann of Columbia University, and Siva Vaidhyanathan of the University of Virginia, amid many others.